To Zane – Month 5

Mommy took this picture when Auntie Carolyn was holding you. We even printed and framed it for Daddy to take to work because it was so cute.

Well Zane, here Mommy is, writing your five-month letter. Late, again… but not as late as the four-month letter was! Still, I promise I will try to improve on my writing time for your future posts! The weeks following the wedding were a little busier than we thought… trying to catch up on housework, stocking up on food, and many hours of Photoshop to get Mommy’s business out there for people to see and get some wedding photos onto Facebook. Not to mention, we went on a trip (a mini honeymoon)AND Mommy started working for one of her old bosses for some extra money! There is a lot to tell you about that went on in your fifth month, so I guess we should just dive right in!

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Your growth this month – and how you’re turning into a little grown-up right before our eyes – blows us away. You had so many firsts in your fifth month, and with each one, Mommy and Daddy are happy and sad at the same time. Happy, because you are doing so well and doing so many great things, and sad because each new thing you do means you’re just a little bit closer to independence!

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Here you are sitting in the high chair. Usually you have toys or a keyboard or your piano, but soon you will be eating here every day too!

The first major thing you did this month was to sit in your high chair! You couldn’t quite sit up on your own yet, but you hold your head up perfectly, and since the high chair has sides and straps, you could sit in it just fine. Mommy started putting you in there when she’s working in the kitchen or cleaning, and you would sit and play with toys (and throw them on the floor) and just enjoy yourself. I think you loved being able to really see what’s going on around you… Mommy would put the chair right in the middle of the house so you could really look around.

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Your taste in toys has started to change this month. You still enjoy your little chains of plastic rings, and your various teething toys and rattles, but instead of staring mesmerized at them, they are always in your mouth now! We’re pretty sure you’re teething, since you’ve had some pretty long (and loud) evenings. Luckily those have (so far) been few and far between. If you don’t need something in your mouth, your old toys sometimes fail to amuse you! You have a couple of toys now that make noises, and you love your Laugh and Learn playcenter now that you know you can interact with the things on it. And interact you do… with your hands AND mouth. You also have a little Baby Genius piano that we have taped onto your high chair tray, and sometimes you sit in the high chair for quite awhile hitting buttons on it.

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This is the day you took an interest in Daddy’s gaming. We had to get you your own controller so you would leave Daddy’s alone!

Mommy and Daddy are actually a little bit surprised about the direction your interests are taking. We didn’t think you’d start becoming a nerd this early, but you are already showing a lot of interest in the things Mommy and Daddy like! The first thing you wanted was our cell phones. We think that’s because they have bright screens that you like to look at. You liked the cordless phone too, and you would push random buttons while Mommy and Daddy watched to make sure you didn’t prank call someone. The second thing was our computer keyboards! You used to sit really well on our laps if we were using the computer, but now you throw yourself toward the keyboard and try to push all the keys. We have actually taped a keyboard to your high chair tray a couple of times, but you don’t like that unless you’re facing a computer monitor (probably so you feel like you’re making things happen). You also like remotes and game controllers – one day, Daddy was playing Xbox, and you threw yourself over trying to get his controller. So he got out a controller for you to play with, and you sat there beside him on the couch and played Xbox “with” him with your very own controller!

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You were lying there saying “DA DA DA” when Mommy took this photo. (Actually, Mommy just wanted to use it here because it’s funny! How did you get your foot out without undoing your sleeper?)

You also make a lot of new noises this month. Mommy and Daddy like to think you’re saying our names, even though you’re probably not quite making that connection yet. But around the end of August, you started saying DA DA DA all the time. Daddy was SO happy, and convinced himself that you were talking to him… Mommy tried to argue that you didn’t know what you were saying, but Daddy wouldn’t have it! And then about a week later you started saying MA MA MA, and now we are both convinced! You know why? Because you say DA DA DA DA when you’re happy, hyper or just talking, and when you are mad or crying or want something, you almost ALWAYS say MA MA MA MA! Daddy thinks it’s hilarious… but Mommy hopes one day you’ll call out to me for more than just food or a dirty bum!

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I think this is the only time you weren’t good for Oma… what a mess! We didn’t mind though, since it was hilarious!

About midway through the month, you stayed overnight at Oma and Grandpa’s house. You’ve stayed there twice now, and the second time you even went to church with them the next morning! Apparently you were very well-behaved in church, and everyone fussed over you after the service while Oma and Grandpa happily showed you off. Grandpa was so proud we were a little surprised he was able to get his head back out of the church door! Both times you stayed there, Mommy and Daddy missed you like CRAZY and couldn’t wait to see you the next day. But you were a little trooper and slept through both nights and you were excellent for Oma. Well that’s what she says anyway… do you think she is biased a little bit?

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Your first haircut happened this month – you have rubbed most of the hair off on the top and back of your head, so it’s pretty short in those areas, but your sides and bottom of the back were getting so long that it looked like a mullet! We couldn’t have you wearing a mullet around, so Mommy held you and Oma gave you a haircut with Mommy’s sewing scissor. You SCREAMED the whole time – you did NOT like getting a haircut! We’re not sure why – we know we didn’t hurt you – but apparently, Daddy screamed bloody murder when he had his first haircut too. So I guess that’s just one more way you’re a chip off the old block.

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Here’s you in one of our wedding photos. You were SO good this day, even if you didn’t smile or look for any of the other shots!

One HUGE event for you this month was Mommy and Daddy’s wedding. This was a LONG day for you – you went with Mommy first thing in the morning to pick up rental cars and get Mommy’s hair done, and then right to the hall where the wedding was happening. You were very easy to get along with that day – quiet, not fussing much at all except when you got hungry. You did make the ceremony a little later by pooping your pants right before we were supposed to go in, but we didn’t mind delaying it a little to change you. After all, you were the ring bearer! And you cried a little right before we went in, but when it was time to go, you just laid back in your little wagon in your red vest and tie and looked ADORABLE for everyone. You were good all through the ceremony too, even with having to come up on stage and getting passed around among several people. There is a story about you tooting on Uncle Chris a lot, but that’s just what you do! Mommy and Daddy were SO PROUD of you and so glad you got to stay in the room for the whole thing. You were even wonderful for photos and through the whole reception although you hadn’t slept all day and you were really tired.

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The night of the wedding, you had another first – your first camping trip! Mommy and Daddy were busy with the wedding reception, so you stayed with Oma and Grandpa in their camper. Oma said you were awesome – just went down and slept through the whole night. But what Mommy will always remember is when we came to get you the next morning. Oma was holding you and you were just fine, but when you saw Mommy your litle face broke out in a huge grin. Mommy felt so wonderful knowing you missed me and were happy to see me. But Mommy was also glad you were so good and so okay with staying overnight with someone else.

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Here you are sleeping in your carseat. This isn’t on the Canmore trip, but this IS what you did for a lot of the drive!

Just a couple days after the wedding, just as you were starting to get over the big weekend, Mommy and Daddy ended up dragging you to Canmore for a couple of days! Uncle Allan and Auntie Jolene rented a suite there, and they invited us to come along. It’s about a three hour drive out, and you were awake for quite a bit of it, but you were really good! You played and talked and when you were a

Your first hot tub! Of course you can’t put a baby in a hot tub, but we let you get a little taste of the experience.

little cranky, you slept for a little bit. We couldn’t believe how a baby could deal so well with a long car trip! You were good the whole two days we were there too, sleeping through both nights in your playpen, letting Mommy and Daddy visit with Uncle Allan and Auntie Jolene, and in a good mood most of the time. We dragged you all over Canmore checking out stores and just walking. The second day, we went to Banff and spent the whole day there – first shopping, then walking around Twin Ponds and Lake Minnewanka. You were great putting up with the bright sun and the shaking stroller on the bumpy paths, you even seemed to enjoy it for most of the day. Back at the condo, we all went to the hot tub after supper and you even got to put your feet in the warm water a little bit! You didn’t know quite what to do with that experience, but Mommy promises one day you will LOVE it!

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Sound asleep in your stroller while we walked around Calgary zoo. This isn’t all you did though; you were really interested in the camels, elephants and tigers.

When we came back from there, we went to the zoo in Calgary, and even though you were exhausted from all you’d been through, you still did pretty well. You fussed quite a bit when you got tired, but then you fell asleep lying in your stroller and slept all the way home. Mommy and Daddy were proud of you AGAIN for taking the two stressful days so well. We’re always proud of you of course, but even more so when you do so well even though Mommy and Daddy are disrupting everything you’re used to. You are really a big boy and very relaxed and happy as long as you feel secure wherever you are.

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Enjoying some crushed raspberries. This isn’t your first time eating (that was mashed potatoes) but these are your favorite food so far!

While we were in Canmore, you had your first solid food! Oh, Mommy and Daddy had tried giving you little tastes of things earlier on, but the only thing you had liked was raspberry. Everything else we tried, you made a face – but such a funny face! This time though, we gave you a little piece of mashed potatoes with gravy. You made a face the first try… and the second try… and then suddenly decided you LOVED it! We let you have a few more bites, and you were grabbing Mommy’s finger and shoving it in your mouth so hard you almost gagged yourself. We all laughed the whole time… none of us had any idea that solids would be such a big hit!

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You’ve had some more solids since then… the second thing you tried was broccoli, which you loved so much you were throwing yourself at the spoon again. You even grabbed it at one point and put it in your mouth on your own… and DID actually gag yourself. A couple of nights later you had chicken and broccoli for supper, and that was the last night you slept all the way through the night. Mommy ALWAYS has to get up and feed you during the night now. We think you’re just not staying full as long anymore, so Mommy and Daddy are going to start feeding you something for supper every night. We would sure like it if you went back to sleeping your 10-hour nights, but it’s okay if you still need to get up. That’s part of the deal getting to be parents to an awesome little boy!

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You love sleeping in the bed with Mommy and Daddy… lots of times we’ve caught you wide awake, just chilling out. Daddy is already missing you being in there with us.

Toward the end of your fifth month, you started to really look like you’re on the way to sitting up. You were actually able to sit up for a minute or so, although you were leaning on your hands. Eventually though, you forget that you’re leaning and try to grab something, and then you fall over. You’re getting close though! Mommy and Daddy decided we better start putting you in your crib, because when you start pulling yourself up to a sitting position, your cradle will be too shallow! You’re almost too long for the cradle anyway… the only reason you’re still in it, is because Daddy is having trouble letting go of having you sleep in the bedroom with us! He will have to be okay with it though, because we can’t slow down your growing up no matter how much we’d like to!

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This photo is here because it’s Daddy’s favorite photo of you. He even took it – maybe he’ll be a photographer yet!

The very last night of your fifth month was (Mommy thinks) your biggest FIRST this whole month. You slept in your crib in your own room for the first time. Mommy had a lot of trouble putting you down that night, because you are used to eating lying down in Mommy and Daddy’s bed and then falling asleep in the bed. And here was Mommy trying to get you to eat in a chair?!?!? It took Mommy almost three hours to get you to go down peacefully… we didn’t want to let you cry yourself to sleep on your first night in the crib. But eventually, Mommy was able to get you to sleep and set you in the crib without fully waking you up. You only slept in there for about five hours that night before Mommy took you back into bed with me and Daddy, but it was a huge milestone on your road to growing up. We miss having you in our bedroom, but at the same time we are PROUD of everything you’ve done this month, happy to see you taking steps forward so well, and we LOVE you so much.

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Your measurements at the end of this month:

  • Height: 27 inches
  • Weight: 18 lb 3 oz

3 Comments

  1. Could’ve done without that naked picture of Rickie at the end…

  2. Oma loves reading about Zane…I am enjoying him so much, It’s great to see Uncle Carl is keeping up with Zane’s news as well!

  3. I really enjoy reading about Zane because I miss so much of him growing up.

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